Thanks to Lilian and Dick we have a brand new sign. A small issue with the ‘Love Where You Live’ logo needs to be resolved, but with or without it, it’s sure to attract people’s attention.

We used it on Saturday at the Five Bridges lay-by on the A30 Shaftesbury/Sherborne road just East of the Henstridge traffic lights. Four of us plus Ben the film maker and an extra volunteer joined us as he saw what we were up to.

I guess we picked for a good hour and a half in total. We filled the ‘new’ trailer, put a builders dumpy bag full of trash in the back of my car, and various other oddments into two others. It was a success all told.

Tea time under the tarpaulin next to the daffs and violets was a time of banter and relaxation. The rain basically held off, the sheep bleated in the next field, the birds sang around us, and generally that is a pretty pleasant lay-by. Trees, bushes, flowers, a great central green and plenty of parking space. I wouldn’t mind having a picnic there ‘now’, but in a couple of weeks? Hmmm, I’ll go and check!

So I got the sign out again today and went down the road to a small village called Todber. I knew there was a lay-by there for a photo shoot. And here’s the piccie I took. And here’s the piccie I took of a pile of auto goods randomly thrown over and in a hedge. Did I take them down the tip? No I didn’t. Bit of a monument I thought. Show others what’s hidden in them there bushes.

I’ve been looking at more ways to try and fund the Dorset Lay-By Litter Pick…and short of filling out forms, trying to convince fairly uninterested people, and wasting time on valueless trails, I reckon I’ve got to just fund it myself. I’m the one who believes in it…and I don’t have to convince myself! It must be possible.

Gotta write a book. That’s a start. A typewriter for each chapter?!